Sarasota Contemporary Dance starts Summer Performance Series

Performances by Sarasota Contemporary Dance are almost always a treat. The company has the vision and the talent to create memorable programs time after time.

This weekend’s performance, the kick-off for the company’s Summer Performance Series, sounds especially intriguing. “Grit” is a full-length piece choreographed by Alyson Dolan, who’s based in Austin, Texas. Dolan has been working with Lisa del Rosario, Alfredo Ramirez and Drew Silverman for a couple of years, and they’re in the midst of a residency in Sarasota. Their collaborative goal, they say, is “to bring the most primal elements of human expression into the realm of concert dance and performance art.” Ramirez and Silverman bring experience in extreme music to the work.

“Grit” is an abstract piece, but according the description provided by the company it “honors the human experience, as well as deconstructs and burns it to the ground. It makes a mockery of the word ‘human’ and the notion that we are civilized. It draws from feelings of power and episodes of delusion, ignorance and naivety. It is ripe with imagery and storytelling. Stories of women under attack, men that have lost their way, and a scathing tyrant suffering from amnesia.”

That sounds pretty odd, but also pretty cool. Since it’s an abstract piece, people in the audience might not perceive it the way Dolan and friends intended it, but that’s OK.

It’s performed with live music, which is rare in a contemporary dance program. It’s a one-time performance and seating is limited, so it’d be a good idea to get tickets soon if you want to see it.

Details: 2 p.m. July 23, New College of Florida Black Box Theater in Hamilton Center, 5850 General Dougher Place, Sarasota. $20, sarasotacontemporarydance.org

This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Sarasota Contemporary Dance starts Summer Performance Series."